in effect
This is a presidential proclamation — a formal symbolic declaration — signed May 7, 2025, designating May 2025 as National Foster Care Month. It does not create law, allocate funds, or impose requirements; it is a public recognition that calls on Americans to support foster children and caregivers.
No regulations, funding levels, or legal requirements change as a result of this proclamation. The document references a previously enacted law — the Family First Prevention Services Act (passed during Trump’s first term) — as existing policy context, but does not modify it. It notes that approximately 360,000 children and youth annually rely on foster or kinship-care families, citing that figure as an ongoing need. The First Lady’s BE BEST initiative is mentioned as an existing effort, not a new program launched by this document.
Foster parents, kinship caregivers, and the children in their care are the intended honorees, but no new obligations or benefits flow to them from this proclamation. Professionals who support the foster care system — social workers, educators, clergy, attorneys, and law enforcement — are acknowledged. The practical effect is limited to public awareness: the proclamation invites all Americans to recognize foster families and look for ways to support children in the system.